Most passenger side airbag modules employ cushion covers. The term "cushion" as used herein means the folded and undeployed airbag. The purposes of the cover are to prevent foreign objects from lodging inside the cushion and to retain the cushion fold until the module is installed in a vehicle and a deployment door is attached over it. Cushion covers presently employed may be made of plastic fiber papers such as Tyvek (a DuPont trademark), woven fabric, or injection molded or die cut sheet plastic. These prior art cushion covers are normally secured to the module by means of adhesive bonding, sewing, or fastening with screws or rivets. They are designed with perforated lines or tear seams which are designed to split when the airbag deploys. The cover portions then swing open allowing full deployment of the airbag.
The prior art cushion covers have a number of disadvantages. First, as previously explained, they require the use of fasteners or adhesives, thereby complicating the task of assembly. Second, the presence of a perforation or tear line invites inadvertent splits due to handling prior to or during installation. Finally, the presence of two relatively small and newly formed "doors" presents the possibility of snagging of the airbag which could thereby destroy its ability to function as a life saving element.
Accordingly it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a cushion cover for a passenger side airbag module which does not require the use of fasteners or adhesives. Another object is to provide such a cover which is unperforated and thereby resistant to inadvertent splitting. Another object of the present invention is to provide such a cover which provides a relatively wide guide flap against which the airbag may deploy to reduce the possibility of snags. Other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.